War of the Spirits
by Ziriuel
Summary: Continuation of Hunted by Death. Its been sometime since Chihiro has fallen to sleep when the bathhouse is burnt down and her body disappears. What becomes of the spirit world now that the spirit of its world cannot be found?
1. Prologue

**I do not own Spirited Away, the original characters and this plotline belong to me.**

**Hey everyone, great to be working on a new start again. This is the sequel to "Hunted by Death" for people who have jumped to read this one first, you're going to be confused, so do yourselves a favor and go read the first one, you won't regret it, its only 37 chapters long after all.**

**So without any further gilding the lily we begin "Wars of the Spirit"  
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><p>Prologue<p>

Downstairs there was music playing, and he was stuck upstairs studying, again. Not that he minded, his family's parties tended to get out of hand. Aunt Milli probably brought a batch of that nasty bean dip... he tried to tell himself. Trying to convince himself that he wasn't missing anything. Raz was failing miserably. He sighed and slumped over the desk covered in papers for his final shaman test. "I want some of Aunt Milli's nasty bean dip..." he mumbled. He then slapped himself across the face, "No, must concentrate, must be ready for anything tomorrow!" He jumped up from his seated position and went to his bookshelf and took out another book.

Raz looked at the desk, then at his bedroom door. His eyes darted between the two for a moment, "...Just a few minutes downstairs wouldn't... kill my chances... right?" He tapped the spine of the book against his forehead, slowly he slid the book back into place. He darted out of the room before he could change his mind again. His door clicked closed as a breeze came in through his window accompanied by a gentle hiss of sound.

They were talking about their own final tests when Raz entered the room, "...I remember this giant bird spirit swooping down and taking me for quite the ride." Aunt Milli was saying, "Then I had to climb out of its nest and down this cliff face."

"That doesn't give any confidence for me." Raz said walking to the dining table and snagging a plate. He put a large dollop of nasty bean dip on his plate along with several other unidentifiable concoctions that his family had brought together in one place. "I'm starving."

"Go easy on the bean dip, Aunt Milli adds an ingredient just to put people to sleep in large quantities." Uncle Ty, Milli's husband called over to him.

"Shouldn't you still be studying Raz?" His mother came over and gave him a hug from behind.

"Mom..." He groaned.

"What I haven't seen you in years! And you're going to disappear on me again for who knows how long!" She hugged him tighter. "You're just lucky that your master taught you well enough to astral project."

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><p>Raz sat up abruptly and sighed heavily. He groaned and rolled over, dirt wasn't the softest place to be sleeping. He rubbed his eyes, that had been what, ten years ago in the spirit world's time? His mother was probably long dead by now, Aunt Milli's grand kids were going to be having kids soon... there hadn't been another shaman born in his family since then. His body was still alive, preserved by magic. Eventually he would be forced to retire from this life and go back to that body, to the real world.<p>

There was a hissing near his ear. He rolled his head coming nose to snout of the black serpent, its tongue flicked out slightly. "You're suppose to be guarding her." He immediately sat up. "Why aren't you guarding her, is she awake, you're only suppose to stay with her unless she wake up so did she wake up?"

The snake waited patiently for him to stop speaking, "There is an incident." His tongue flicked again. "We were forced to flee, the bathhouse has been set to flame."

Raz was immediately on his feet. "Haku is closer to the bathhouse why didn't you go to him first!" He demanded, he lifted up the black snake, about the size of a common black mamba and put him over his shoulders. "You should of gone to him first! How long ago did this happen?"

The snake opened his mouth widely, the image of a face, female, a water sprite appeared in its gaping jaws, she spoke. "The master is busy and does not wish to see anyone." The image dissolved. "We were turned away, without being allowed to speak my reason or speak our name." His tongue flicked again. "Flames began from the water rooms, much time ago."

Raz heard an echoing of a great roar as he approached the hills overlooking the bathhouse. Above the flaming building mingled in the smoke there was flashes of silver scales. The giant form of the river dragon came from within the smoke, another roar came from the creature it was the sound of a tormented soul. "Haku..." Raz whispered. "...no... she can't be."

The snake's tongue flicked again, "We depart." Black Serpent whispered and slid off his shoulders.

"Is she dead?" Raz asked looking over his shoulder at the snake.

"We are unsure," it continued to slither away, "We will search for her, perhaps find her."

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><p><strong>Ta da! Quite the beginning my little friends, the rest will show more later.<strong>


	2. Chapter 1

**I do not own Spirited Away, the original characters and this plotline belong to me.**

**Hey everyone, great to be working on a new start again. This is the sequel to "Hunted by Death" for people who have jumped to read this one first.**

**It was suggested to me to give a short summary of the previous story, so I thought I'd supply one for those who are short on time. Of which I can totally understand.**

_It had been five years since Chihiro had been to the spirit world, when a death spirit appears at the bathhouse looking for her. When she find out about this she decides to stubbornly, against many other spirit's wishes, return to the spirit world to find out exactly why this death spirit is searching for her._

_She is reunited with Kuhaku and gains new friends to help guard her and guide her on her chosen journey. Razmillian, a young apprentice shaman who is under orders from his master, another shaman, to make sure Chihiro is protected, and to find out what all this commotion is about her. Blink, a kitsune spirit and messenger for the god Inari, there mostly to satisfy the curiosity of said god, but also becomes a friend to the human girl. A short time later they are joined by another, not a spirit, but a demon who was once a spirit, hired on by Raz's master as an extra precaution. Niruu, once a dragon rain spirit, and now an demon with azure energy and scarves that were once her rain and now weapons that move to her, and their own free will._

_Along Chihiro's journey she discovers that the band given to her by Zaniba was given more to protect her from taking magic into her person than from physical harm, and when removed all the magic would come to her at her call. However, this is also starting to kill her because she is human and a human body cannot handle that amount of magic._

_Another enemy joins the side of the death spirit, a demon called Doppelganger, able to take on any shape and any form. It seeks to take something that Niruu has in her possession. A red eye that once belonged to a great black serpent spirit who was fooled into serving a fallen god._

_Chihiro discovers that she has been chosen to become the next spirit of the spirit world and that is why the world's magic would respond to her beckons. When the death spirit tries to take control of Chihiro's body to go in search of the second red eye of the black serpent in the human world Chihiro destroys it, and absorbs it into her because they were battling within Chihiro's mind. Niruu kills the doppelganger and it is discovered that Niruu has allowed the black serpent's spirit to reside within her person, but not to control her._

_Chihiro agrees to become the next spirit of the spirit world, however first she must absorb the power from the previous spirit who has been watching her from inside her mind for the past five years. There are several other stipulations attached to her becoming the spirit of the spirit world, the most vital being she has to give up her humanity by dieing._

**For a more in depth and in my opinion, better go at the previous fic... go read it. :P And now on to the first chapter!  
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><p>Chapter 1<p>

There was no light, but there were lots of sounds. Insects on the ground around, the flutter of wings in the air above, the soft rustle of leaves as a breeze passed over head. There were smells too. Sweet scents of flowers, the warm and comforting smell of dirt, a soft smell of water and the lingering odor of smoke. Slowly eyes rustled open, there were pinpricks of light above in a blanket of darkness. The breeze floated over a form again, the sensation was chilling, but they didn't move to change position from laying flat on the ground.

How did it work again? The brain thought, Moving... there was some sort of trick to it wasn't there? Do I remember how to move? The head rolled slightly to the side, Yes, its very simple... I think. The eyes watched a limb off to its side, slowly the appendages began to curl from their flat position. Do I take it slowly, or does the rest of this body remember how its done? The head rolled again to stare at the lights, stars, the brain reminded itself, yes that's what those are called. The limb, and the other limb opposite the other began to move together trying to lift the upper body from the flat position. Are the muscles strong? The body began to lift, yes there was strength in this body.

Once sitting the head looked down at the body. Female, the brain reminded itself as it looked at its bare skin. Yes, I am a girl. The head lifted again and looked at the legs and feet, they stubbornly refused movement. The brain pondered these, then another thought was pondered, where am I laying, how did I come to this place. Then a far more important thought jumped to the front of the train of thought. What, and who am I?

Her mouth opened and she licked her lips, they were dry as was her throat. She wondered if she was hungry. The sound of the grass moving in the wind was altered, she turned to watch a path in the grass forming as something moved in it. Was she suppose to be afraid? A scaly triangular head appeared by her hand, in the light of the moon she could see its right eye was a deep crimson red while the left eye was pale blue. It looked up at her then lifted its head from the ground and came about level with her elbow. It's eyes watched and appraised her carefully.

"Are you ssshe?" It asked.

She wondered again if she should be surprised at a speaking creature, or if she should be frightened by this thing. She tilted her head to the side looking at it then shrugged, she was unsure if there was a voice in this body but did not feel the need to test it at the moment. Did this creature, snake, her brain reminded itself, perhaps know her?

"You are a young one..." it continued to look at her, it began to move around her, "Perhapsss, you are who we are ssseeking for." the black snake slithered across her legs, "We will have to fetch him here, perhapsss he will forgive the error if we return with sssucsssesssss." It began to slither away into the grass again just as it had come.

The girl began to look around for who else the snake had been talking about, we, her brain reminded itself, referred to more than one person. Was it speaking about her, was she suppose to follow this snake? She looked at her legs again, they still refused to move. She looked after the snake in the grass, it had vanished into the darkness. She looked up at the stars again, she wondered if she should stay or should try and leave before the snake returned. From what she'd understood it would be back, and with someone else this time. Would they try to harm her, would they know who she was? Should she be frightened at the prospect of this discovery?

She licked her lips again and forced movement into her lower limbs, they acted annoyed at the prospect of being used before they were ready but they responded none the less. She stood to her full height and looked at the world around her again. She noticed a strange haziness around her form, there was a fine mist of some sort that rested just above her skin. She listened in the silence, for a moment she thought she heard it speak then there was only the soft silence of insects, of wings, of wind and of grass moving. Should she stay, or go? It was calm here, she was content here. Perhaps they would know her the snake and the one it would return with.

The starlight kept her standing in place as she gazed at it in wonder.


	3. Chapter 2

**I do not own Spirited Away, the original characters and this plotline belong to me.**

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><p>Chapter 2<p>

Black serpent had to be going senile. Raz had been wandering the still safe places of the spirit world in his own search for Chihiro, and the serpent would come to him once ever few weeks with what he assumed was the spirit he was looking for. None of them even looked, let alone felt in aura, like Chihiro had. Though, with her being the spirit of the spirit world, that is if she was still alive, he wasn't sure her aura would be the same as it had been, or even if she would look the same. This time the snake had found a young spirit, that was far more promising than the last two, they were far too old to be what Chihiro would of been. What wasn't promising was the location, some hundred odd miles from where the bathhouse had once stood in an open field next to lone tree.

"If this is a wood sprite I'll strangle that snake." He said wrapping the cloak tighter around him. The spirit world was starting to get colder, winter was approaching. Maybe the battles would slow when it started to snow. Though he highly doubted that, the sides would recruit more spirits or demons and the fighting would continue. Sighing he ran a hand through his white hair, glass beads jangled against each other in his hair. "Focus Raz... and stop talking to yourself." He continued to follow the path of the snake through the yellow grass.

In the approaching distance he saw the tree. He paused in his surprise. There wasn't enough water in this area to support more than just this long grass. How could a tree take root here? He continued toward it, the branches, at first, appeared to be filled with snow. As he grew closer he saw they were leaves. They were such a pale green they looked nearly white at a distance. Raz had never seen a tree like this in the spirit world. Its bark was the color of iron and it leaned into the wind slightly. Raz stopped below it and looked down at the snake. "Well?"

Black serpent's tongue flicked through the air, "Ssshe isss-still here." The snake stated, "Her sssmell isss fressh." He raised his head off the ground then looked to the shaman. "Ussse your own eyesss, don't have us do all the work."

Raz sighed, he brushed a hand over the soft grass, then paused. the grass was green around this tree while the rest was yellow. Cautiously he laid his head against the tree and closed his eyes. Thump, thump. He immediately backed away from the tree, there was a very faint heartbeat deep within the tree, "If this is a tree sprite I'm killing you." He said to the snake. An irregular movement in the tree caught his eye, there was a flash of pale skin in the branches. "Not you, I was talking to the snake." He called to the form. "This isn't the best place to grow. You're unprotected."

"This is my tree?" the voice came from the branches, "it doesn't do anything though."

Alright, he thought to himself, not a tree spirit. "Could you come down here please?" There was some silence then slowly a foot appeared from the edges of the leaves, the rest of the body followed it down. Raz immediately looked away, "Um, ah..." He stammered, this is... different... most human looking spirits wear clothes. He swallowed and reached into his bag all the while trying not to look directly at all of her bare flesh, "Ah... here." He pulled out a white robe and held it up for her. "You'll be more comfortable in this."

She blinked and looked at the offered clothes, these were a good thing? Yes, her brain reminded itself. She took the clothes and slid her arms into it. The fabric was rough on her skin. She looked at the cloth on her arms then at her skin, they were near the same color. She tied the sash around her waist though she wished to take the harsh fabric from her skin. "Thank you." She said and smiled at the young man who stood before her.

Raz glanced at her to make sure she was covered. He sighed and looked at the snake, "And you thought this was her?" He could see a thin veil of mist surrounding her now. Her hair trailed down her back, from the roots to her shoulders was a soft brown, from there it was a paler white than the robe and her skin.

"Am I not a her?" she asked curiously.

"No, I mean, yes you are." He said blushing furiously. "But we're looking for a particular spirit."

"Oh, so that's what I am. A spirit." She leaned against the tree, "Do you know who I am?"

Raz blinked, he'd never heard of a young spirit not knowing who it was, when they replaced the previous spirit they would be told who they were and what would be theirs. "Um, no I don't think we do. Is this your field?" She shrugged, "You don't know what you're a spirit of?"

"Should I?" She tilted her head to the side, something in that movement reminded Raz of Chihiro. He watched her carefully, she looked back at him. Her eyes were dark brown, she stared back at him while he watched her, "What's wrong?"

The shaman looked at the spirit then at the tree, then back, "Black... the last spirit... he was an earth spirit right?"

"Indeed." The snakes tongue flicked out again, "I sssuggest we continue thisss conversssation elssewhere, a presssance approachesss." He began to slither away.

Raz looked to the girl again, "Can you leave this place?"

She shrugged, "I haven't tried." She looked after the snake, "Should I follow him this time?" Raz nodded. The spirit took a step away from the tree then paused. She turned and rested her head against the tree, she smiled softly. "I'll come back later." Then walked away into the grass. Raz stared at the tree for a moment.

"Chihiro!" he called.

The girl paused then looked over her shoulder at him. "Me?"


	4. Chapter 3

**I do not own Spirited Away, the original characters and this plotline belong to me.**

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><p>Chapter 3<p>

It had to be her. Raz kept repeating to himself while watching the spirit sitting across the fire from him. But, how could it be? The spirit of the spirit world said she would be exactly the same person in spirit. It was why he'd chosen here for gods sake! That tree had been the spitting image of the last spirit, it must have gone into that form when its powers had been finally taken, and the heartbeat would fade away until only the tree remained as an epitaph of sorts to the previous spirit. Raz wondered if there were other things, out of place things that had once been the spirits of the spirit world. He shook his head and returned to the previous thought. She had to be Chihiro, but why couldn't she remember anything?

"Um," He began, both the girl and the snake looked at him, "What should I call you?"

She blinked, she hadn't thought about a name, "I don't think I have one."

"Every ssspirit has a name." Black serpent stated.

The girl pondered this for a moment. "I suppose so, but I don't know mine."

Raz sighed, "I try not to use my magic as often as I can." He stated, "Technically speaking I'm not the most loved shaman in the world... but this seems like an emergency." He walked over and sat next to her, "I can help you find your name, but there is a small chance of other side effects, most of them involve memory loss but since you seem not to remember anything you should be absolutely fine." He held out his hands to her, "Just give me your hands and close your eyes."

The young spirit looked at her hands, turning them over several times, "I think they're pretty well attached." Raz sighed and took hold of her hands, he repeated for her to close her eyes. She did so. Then opened them again. Very slowly she closed them again.

It was brighter behind her eyelids than it was with her eyes opened. The world looked a little fuzzy but she was in the field again.

"Just walk." Raz stated, his voice a little hazy, as was his shape beside her. "Your mind is using what it knows to..." He cut himself off.

Ahead of them the young spirit was kneeling on the ground, before her, was the last spirit of the spirit world. Raz and the girl approached the two other forms.

"Ah, and there you. With your friend."

Raz nearly stumbled, "You shouldn't be able to see us."

"Indeed, but that is the benefit of being me." He returned his attention to the girl before him. "You see, it will all work out just fine. Sleep, and you will remember over time."

The second girl, the one in the vision nodded and laid down then vanished.

"Where did I go?" She asked curiously looking at where the form had vanished.

"She returned to be part of you." He stated, "You see, you died before you were supposed to, the only way I could think to complete the power transfer was to take what I had left to give you, tie them to your memories and then take them from you so you would have to find them."

"Why does she have to find them? Why can't you just give them all back to Chihiro now?"

He shook his head, "You didn't become a shaman over the course of a single night did you? The same is with... Chihiro. The power was being given to her, she had to sacrifice her time, and her life to receive it. Her memories were part of her human body, the powers had to be given to a human vessel, something pliable that could contain it all, then she would give up the form and the power would remain within the spirit." He explained. "Since she now has no body, she has to find the memories, they are attached to people of her past. Find them, and she will remember who she is meant to be. You are dismissed, I have words to give to her." He waved a hand.

Raz felt something grab him somewhere behind his bellybutton and pull him away from Chihiro. He only watched as she turned back to the once spirit of the spirit world. His eyes opened. A moment later Chihiro's eyes opened.

She stared silently at him for a moment.

"So, you are Chihiro, you remember that right?"

'Chihiro' bit her lip. "I suppose I once was... He said he'd given me a new name, and I'll remember it, eventually." She settled slightly and looked back up into his eyes, "But for now you can still call me Chihiro, so, what was your name?"

He sighed, she didn't remember him, so what did she remember? "Raz, we met the second time you came to the spirit world."

She nodded, "I can vaguely remember the first time I came here... faces are fuzzy, but feelings, and places are more... there."

Raz sighed, "Well, its a start. I guess we should go look for the others."

"Some of them could still be at the..." She squinted one eye as she tried to find the name of the place, "bathhouse?"

He quickly shook his head, "First of all, the bathhouse is gone, all that's left is a few charred walls and lots of metal pipes. Secondly, its become a no mans-er spirit land, its forbidden to enter that area." He ran a hand through his hair, "I'll have to explain how things have changed since you vanished while we go in search of everyone."

Chihiro tilted her head to the side as if listening, "The mist says it can show us the way to someone, they were given to me by someone, so I would remember them..."

Black Serpent raised a figurative eyebrow, "The missst is Niruu'sss ssscarf?"

Raz laughed, not a happy laugh but a 'that really wouldn't be a good idea to try' kind of laugh. "Niruu doesn't like company of any kind, you should know that best Black. She's a mercenary now."

"Niruu?" Chihiro asked with a raised eyebrow.


	5. Chapter 4

**I do not own Spirited Away, the original characters and this plotline belong to me.**

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><p>Chapter 4<p>

Raz wondered if Chihiro was really somewhere in that mind. She was currently walking beside him her eyes on the heavens. "Do you want me to explain whats happened since you've slept?"

"I'd like real clothes first." Chihiro replied, "I don't think walking around in a bathrobe is very noble for the spirit of the spirit world." She looked at her bare feet, "I don't think I need shoes though."

Raz shook his head looking at her, "You know, I noticed that you don't have nearly the amount of magic that I thought you would in you." He got on his knees and pulled his bag off his shoulders, Chihiro had kept walking then noticed that both he, and Black Serpent had stopped walking, she went back to their side, Raz began digging deeper into the bag. At one point he had nearly half his body in the bag. "Aha! Found them!" Came his muffled voice, he came back out with a bundle of clothes. "We got these for you, last time you were here."

Chihiro kneeled on the other side of the bag and put her head into it. "How do you get all this stuff in such a small bag?" There was a moment of silence, "Its bigger on the inside..."

"Yeah, its complicated magic. I can get at practically everything I need in here..." Raz stated, Chihiro finally pulled her head out of the bag, "I need to clean it out though, I mean if I have things from ten years ago in here then I am a packrat."

"Ten years?" She took the clothes from Raz and immediately began changing. Raz averted his eyes. "Its been ten years?"

Raz nodded. "We didn't think you'd sleep that long either." He scratched his neck. "So, whats been happening... umm... I restored Black to his body, Niruu is... around, mostly a demon for hire, Kuhaku found his river, or what was left of it, then he worked to get it back to strength."

"Kuhaku?" Chihiro asked pulling the kimono around her tighter. "Who's he?"

Raz flinched slightly, the dragon would of died to hear those words come from the girl's lips. "He... well he was... is, someone who was, is important to you."

Chihiro paused in tying the sash around her waist. "Should we go talk to him first then?"

"No!" Raz and Black serpent said at the sametime, She blinked, "Ah, I mean... He's become really..." He worked to phrase the words carefully wondering if the words would bring back memories. "About four years after you went to sleep, demons began pouring into the spirit world. At first we thought it was cause something had happened to you, then... the spirit world was weakened cause you had taken so long to take up the powers." He finally looked at Chihiro. She was in a deep blue knee length kimono, it was tied on wrong with a long portion of the sash hanging at her side. She'd pulled on the pants of the outfit as well but had elected to shorten them to mid calf. Her curious hair she'd tied in a knot at about her shoulders. "Now that you're back though, you need to close all the tares between hell and the spirit world." He paused then shook his head, "You don't have that kind of power right now though... you have to remember first."

Chihiro tilted her head to the side, "That doesn't answer why we can't go to Kuhaku."

"Haku is one of those heading the war against the demons." Raz stated, "He's one of the groups anyway. There's at least four groups of spirits who think their method of driving or killing the demons is the best way to keep this world, and there's all kinds of fighting between these factions too."

"Spirits are killing spirits?" Raz nodded slowly. "That's stupid of them." She stated simply and sat down on the ground. "They're weakening each others forces and give the demons more strength. Why didn't Niruu side with the demons?"

Raz stood, "We better keep moving." He picked up the snake and hung him around his shoulders. Chihiro stood again and walked with the white haired shaman, "Niruu thinks both sides are wrong to kill each other since most demons were spirits at some point in time."

"Then they should be changed back." Chihiro stated simply then walked off ahead of Raz her eyes on the sky again, her feet taking her in a straight line.

Raz sighed and looked at the snake, "If only it was that simple, right Black?"

"Indeed." The snake tilted its head toward Chihiro, "Niruu'sss missst that lingerss around the girl though, it isss a part of Niruu. It hasss returned to itsss original form, perhapsss she has the power."

The shaman watched the mist dancing and glittering around Chihiro as she walked, "Who knows why it did that." He said dismissively. "She has to remember herself before she can go around saving anyone. Its going to be hard to find them all, like Blink." He said mournfully, "I haven't seen a glimmer or even a hair of that fox since he left with the DragonCutter, what are we going to do?"

"The only thing we can do." The snake stated, "Sssearch."

"Raz," Chihiro called from ahead, "I want to go to the bathhouse." She turned and countinued to walk as Raz ran to catch up to her and explain, again, why they couldn't go there.

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><p><strong>Yay for the beginning of an epic adventure to find what is rightfully Chihiro's! Now where can they all be found? :p<strong>


	6. Chapter 5

**I do not own Spirited Away, the original characters and this plotline belong to me.**

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><p>Chapter 5<p>

Make sure no one entered the land where the bathhouse once stood. It wasn't a difficult job, no one was foolish enough to cross into that land. It was all too often that new tares would form, more demons would emerge, and other portals would close. There were too many chances for a spirit to be sucked into those holes to the darkness and loose themselves. He remained only on orders. Bored out of his mind he continually carved into the crossbow bolts, small intricate designs he'd seen in his sleep the night before. Each bolt was different and none of them looked the like designs he'd engraved on the crossbow itself. He wondered what would happen when he fired them.

On strict orders he didn't fire on any of the smaller demons, the larger ones, the ones that oozed energy into the spirit world were free game. To his dismay he hadn't had any large ones in a few weeks. He sighed and leaned back against the rocks. The rubble he now sat in was once the pig farm it had been destroyed by a particularly nasty large demon, it had wandered off in the direction of Shadow Grove. Once they left the forbidden territory they weren't his problem anymore, this was the only place that was in his charge and he'd be damned if it was attacked by something larger than a bear.

He heard voices. At first he wondered if he was talking to himself again, then he was sure of it. No one came this direction, especially by the road, it was dangerous and the stores that surrounded the road often opened holes in their doorways. He laid on his stomach and using magic took a closer look. They looked human! How would humans wander into this world, the gates had all been sealed, the occasional Shaman would make their own way into the spirit world, but they looked practically human. Well the man did. The white hair was a bit odd but the rest of him seemed human, the girl at his side was glowing palely, and even from this distance he could feel some sort of power coming from her. Who was this spirit? He continued to watch them for a moment, mostly watching the young spirit, before he decided to take a closer look. He put his weapon on his back, stood and vanished in a breath of wind.

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><p>Raz paused in his steps, he'd felt... something, a presence. It had been there a moment ago, but now it was gone. Chihiro called his name she was some steps ahead of him. He looked at her again.<p>

"There are lots of weird little bubbles here." She commented.

"Bubblessss?" The snake around Raz's neck raised an eyebrow, "I sssee no bubblesss..."

Raz walked toward her, carefully avoiding a few openings in the world, "I think she means the gaps between here and hell." He replied, then spoke to Chihiro, "Yeah, they let the demons into the world, there are a lot of them here so I suggest we get out of here as soon as possible."

"Not until I see the bathhouse."

"You can see it from here!" He waved a hand in the direction of the burnt out remains of the building, "See, there isn't anything left here but coals, gaps, and dust!"

A wooden bolt sank into the palm of Raz's hand. He kept himself from screaming but he clutched his hand around the bolt and ran forward, he grabbed Chihiro around the waist and pulled her into an alley way.

Chihiro grabbed his hand and gasped, "Does it hurt?" She gently fingered the blood coming from the wound.

"I sssenssed nothing." The snake whispered, "Whatever it isss, it can hide itsss pressence very well..." Black Serpent's tongue darted out of his mouth, "The air here is clouded with your blood, I cannot sssmell anything." He said angrily, he slithered and dropped from Raz's shoulders it seemed to blend into the dirt and vanish himself.

Raz flinched when Chihiro touched the bolt, "It's fine, stop touching it!" He hissed when she did it again. "I'll get rid of it later, we have to..." As he watch the bolt began to disintegrate under Chihiro's gentle prodding. He couldn't sense any kind of magic in it though, "What are you doing?"

"Taking care of your hurt." Chihiro stated, the wooden irritation finally vanished completely. Raz wrapped his hand quickly, the cloth was quickly coated in his blood.

"I'll heal myself when we get out of here." He stated when Chihiro tried to grab his hand. She looked up and started climbing onto one of the roofs. "What do you think you're doing?"

"The quickest way out of here is the road, but its too open." Chihiro began, "Whoever it is would be expecting it, I say we go for the bathhouse and hide until night then go out on..." She was trying to remember again, "The tracks."

It actually made some sense to the shaman. "Alright fine, but why are you on the roof?"

"I'm looking for our attacker." She replied as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.

It felt like their ears were popping, Raz swore and climbed up as well. One of the openings began to pucker and roil in the air, a leg appeared out of the opening, a long, thin, black thing, it was followed by another, and another and another, a large body followed and concluded in four more legs. Raz shuddered pulling himself up to Chihiro's side, "I hate spiders... and its a demon spider..."

"Intruders and a great demon." Came a voice from the point of the roof across from them. "I love a challenge."

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><p><strong>Introducing a new character ^-^ What will heshe/it be in this epic continual plotline, friend, or foe?**

**Lol.  
><strong>


	7. Chapter 6

**I do not own Spirited Away, the original characters and this plotline belong to me.**

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><p>Chapter 6<p>

He leaped through the air and landed on the abdomen of the spider. Chihiro watched with curiosity as he aimed the crossbow at the back of the demon's arachnid head and fired. The bolt rebounded off the exoskeleton, the other spirit cursed as he worked to reload, the creature began to thrash trying to dislodge its unwanted passenger. Raz pulled on her arm, she turned to look at him.

"We can get out of here while he's busy." Raz stated. He started across the buildings, Chihiro turned back and started toward the fight, "Chihiro!"

"He'll die if we don't help!" she yelled back, the spider crashed into the empty shop she stood on, she jumped to another roof and slid to a stop. She could remember a weapon, she'd used it before, but she didn't have it anymore. Did she?

A white shot came from Raz, in his hands was a curious looking metal object, he cocked it back and aimed again, "That girl never could leave someone to fight alone..." He muttered as he fired white magic again, it struck one of the joins in the spider's legs, it shrieked and began to thrash further. The other spirit was dislodged from the demon's back and rolled to the ground.

He rolled again to avoid the stinger it was as thick around as his arm. The spider struck at him again and again.

Chihiro felt threads of magic around her, she'd been feeling them for a while now she grabbed a handful of them and cast them toward the stranger, they caught onto him much like a spider's threads, she pulled him in the opposing direction and away from the hungry pincers of the spiders. He found his feet again as well as his crossbow. He could feel several of the threads of magic release him and wrap around the weapon in his hands. Unable to help himself he looked over at the female spirit on the building above, how could she do something like this, he wondered. He ducked under one of the spider's legs and fired at the demon's underbelly.

The shaft of the bolt seemed to explode when it sank into the demon's skin. The inhuman wail that came from the demon paled all the other cries it had made previously. Black goo oozed from the gaping crater that was its under abdomen. It stumbled a hasty retreat but came to a crumpling pile a short distance down the road. When all movement ceased it began to crumble into dust until nothing remained.

The spirit then turned, coming face to weapon with Raz, "I don't want to have to kill you." Raz stated.

Chihiro jumped down onto a pile of boxes then to the ground. "No one's hurt?" She asked.

The wind spirit walked slowly to Chihiro, he stared at her for a moment before dropping to one knee and bowing his head to her. He grabbed one of her hands into both of his "You have saved my life, I am indebted to you."

She blinked and looked at him. "Why?"

"If you ever have need of help I will come to your side."

Raz slapped himself in the forehead, "I knew we should of let him die..."

"What's your name?" Chihiro asked.

He raised himself and whispered something in her ear then leaned away, "But I am called Wren. I am a officer in Lady Zaniba's forces."

Raz immediately perked up, " You know where Zaniba is? Can you take us to her?"

"I am not to leave this place unless a more pressing matter comes." He replied then turned to Chihiro, "You only need to call my true name and I will come to your side however."

The shaman sighed, that could lead to trouble. "Alright, could you point us in the right direction?" Wren told him their main camp was due east of the bathhouse. Raz sighed, rather annoyed. "Thanks for the help, come on Chihiro." She went to walk to Raz's side.

Wren grabbed Chihiro by the arm and looked her over, "You called her Chihiro, she isn't _the _Chihiro, is she? The spirit of the spirit world." He immediately dropped to his knees again, "It would be my honor to lead the spirit of this world to our camp. Lady Zaniba told us many times that if you should ever appear we are to bring you to her."

Raz groaned and turned back to them, Chihiro was only staring at him unblinkingly. "Fine, if you would be so kind as to start moving."

Wren put Chihiro's hand into the crook of his arm and began to walk, "We will waste no time."

Chihiro looked back at Raz, "He's strange." She stated.

"Just deal with it until we reach Zaniba. Then I'm sure he'll be off on his own merry way."

"Are..." She worked to remember the names, "Haku and this Zaniba on the same side?"

Wren shook his head, "The dragon lord and Lady Zaniba had a falling out several years ago, they have been at each others throats since the bathhouse burned."

"How did it burn?" Chihiro asked curiously.

Neither of the spirits replied.

"Sssomething happened in the lower mosst floors." Black serpent said appearing at their feet, "We have been followed ssshaman."

Raz cursed, Wren took up his crossbow again. Chihiro was looking back at the roads, she could see so many splits in the air. She grabbed for the threads of magic around her and threw them at the rips. They began to weave and seal the openings. Raz faltered in the casting of a shield feeling the great pull of magic, he could see one bubble in the air after another become sealed. "Chihiro, how can you do that?"

"They're not suppose to be here, and if I'm really the spirit of this world I have to protect it." She stated, "I remember someone told me once that magic will come when I call." The threads vanished once the tares were closed, then they began to simply flow as they had before. The magic was everywhere she wondered if they could see all of it. She nodded, pleased with herself. "So, what's following us Black?"

Chihiro was thrown to the ground when a large clawed foot slammed down around her. She stared up at a very large dragon face.

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><p><strong>This could possibly be my last update for the month, unless I can somehow access the internet. So, I shall leave you in suspense until further notice. :p Love all my readers.<strong>


	8. Chapter 7

**I do not own Spirited Away, the original characters and this plotline belong to me.**

**Sorry, its a little short for having been so long since I last posted. BUT I promise it will all be worth your while in reading. Enjoy!  
><strong>

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><p>Chapter 7<p>

It's eyes were thin slits, at first Chihiro wondered if this was the Haku she'd been hearing so much about. No, this dragon was far to old to be this Haku.

"You are familiar to me?" The dragon's voice entered her mind.

"I don't know am I?" She replied in the same fashion. This took the dragon by surprise, that as well as the burst of flames from a bolt skittering across his scaly hide.

"Who dares attack Seriyu of the East?" His voice boomed across the sky.

"Lord Seriyu!" Raz called up at the rearing dragon lord. "If you hadn't dropped out of the sky like that I'm sure the reaction would of been different, would you mind coming back down here?"

The dragon snorted and kept his hold on Chihiro. "I was told by a member of my court passing over this place there was a great amount of power being drawn here, were you the cause of this?"

"I suppose so, yes." She said with a shrug, "I'm actually rather exhausted after all this magic business."

Slowly he landed and placed Chihiro on the ground, "Explain what has transpired Shaman, perhaps I will help you on your way."

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><p>He gasped and sat up straight. The curtains were still drawn over the window even though the day had begun long ago. Kuhaku sighed and curled up to rest his hands over his eyes. He rubbed them and groaned. Still haunted by by that one moment when he missed. She'd been inches from his claws but her body had fallen out of sight and into the flames. Haku still wondered where that serpent had been, why hadn't he come to him first; his home had been closest to the Bathhouse at that time.<p>

There was a knock on the door then it opened, "You're finally awake my lord?" The shape moved lithely across the floor and pulled back the curtains. Her brown hair hung to her shoulders, her eyes were dark, she looked like Chihiro.

He sighed and stayed where he sat, "That's enough Mizuki, change back."

"You prefer this form though."

"Change. Now."

She humphed, what looked like a ripple of water came down her body, turning her skin to a sea green, her eyes to ebony black pools and her hair lengthened and deep blue. "As you wish my lord. One of the generals reported a strange power at the Bathhouse, and a great deal of the tares were sealed by this power."

He wrapped a blanket around his waist leaving his well toned chest bare. He walked across the floor to his chest of clothes, his back was covered in old burns some of these wrapped up around his arms. "Send Sylph to fly over to see what it was, then have it continue to sweep out around that area." He pulled out a hakama and the loose pants. Mizuki walked up and leaned up against the post of the bed, she watched his every move and bit her lip while watching him change. "Is there anything else?" He pulled back his shoulder length hair and put a curious purple band at the nap of his neck, other silver trinkets were in his hair.

"Should I join you tonight?" She asked sweetly.

He was silent for a moment, "No. It doest matter what I wish you can't be her."

"You tried to save her, my lord, there wasn't any way to predict the fire that took her from this world." Mizuki came up behind him and wrapped her arms around his waist and slipped a hand inside the hakuma. "It was outside of your power."

"She should still be here..." He whispered then escaped from the water nymph's hold. "Go back to your work Mizuki, I have no other need for you." He moved smoothly out the door and down the long flight of stairs to the largest room, filled with many different kinds of water spirits that were taking refuge in his river. There were also others, ones who had come to his cause, to protect and save the spirit world from destruction.


	9. Chapter 8

**I do not own Spirited Away, the original characters and this plotline belong to me.**

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><p>Chapter 8<p>

Chihiro was sleeping curled up between Wren and Raz. The shaman couldn't believe they were sitting on the back of Reiyu, Dragon lord of the East. Wren sat with his arms crossed and staring straight ahead as if he rode dragons everyday of his life. Raz sighed to himself and turned his attention to the sleeping girl... spirit... thing, that occasionally shifted positions in front of him.

"Is it just me or does she look less... glowly for the moment?" Raz asked.

Wren turned to look, "I don't know, has she always glowed?" Wren then looked ahead again. "Zaniba's base should come into sight shortly."

Raz gently shifted Chihiro to wake her. She groaned and opened an eye. She stared at him for a moment then sat up. "You look older." The shaman blinked then smiled and nodded, "You did say ten years right?" Again he nodded, "So its been a long time in..." the trickle of memories began to slow and stop. "What was I saying?" She sighed, disappointed.

"Its okay," Raz comforted, "you'll get there eventually. But yes, I am older, thank you for noticing. We're nearly there."

She sat up and looked around in the clouds. She smiled and threw her hands up into the air letting them touch the clouds. The mist around her had condensed into ice crystals in the cold. They danced and clinked against itself around her. The dragon began its decent.

Out from under the cloud cover appeared a city that looked to be many buildings stacked on each other in a conical shape, the windows were all alight. Chihiro leaned forward on Wren to try and get a closer look as they flew in. Reiyu landed just outside the city gate the three passengers dismounted, Reiyu changed into his human form. "I would accompany you, if permitted."

Raz looked to Wren, who shrugged. "Zaniba will try to convince you to join her side."

"I take no sides." Reiyu stated, "the guardians are to remain neutral in all matters concerning the spirit world."

"I accept your company." They watched Chihiro walk up to him and bow, "You're fuzzy in my memories, but you helped us before, I think." She stood straight. "I don't know what I can do and if I have the power to fix all of this, but I need help. This way you can also remain neutral because I don't have a place where my loyalties lie either."

The dragon lord stood motionless for a moment then his face broke into a smile, "Indeed, I will take up a place to guard you, for the time being. Shall we proceed then?"

The four of them walked to the gate and Wren knocked.

"Password." Came a voice from the other side of the thick wooden door.

Wren looked taken back, "There wasn't a password when I left."

There was a snort i reply, "Course there wasn't Wren, had too many spies crawling in the gate, Zaniba had to create a password." The person cleared his throat and repeated his previous request.

Wren sighed, "If you know who I am then can't you let us in?"

A small portion of the door opened revealing a pair of dull red eyes, "Who's with you?"

"Open the door!" Wren was sick of the game and wanted in.

After a moment the door swung inward, from within came seven men, all of them with the same dull red eyes, each carrying a long black spear. They surrounded them. Raz and Reiyu took up positions around Chihiro when the spears came down toward them. Wren turned to them. "Sorry about this my lady, they're overly protective of Zaniba, too many attempts on her life."

Chihiro blinked, "Why would I try to hurt this person, she hasn't done anything against me, that I can remember anyway." The red eyed spirits directed them to enter, slowly. So slowly they began into the city.

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><p><strong>Huzzah! The hiatus is broken, thanks to those who kept reading, and thanks so much to Neko Amu for yelling at me, well not yelling, but reviewing and telling me to get my but in gear, it kick started this stories engine again. I love you! ...in a friendly, acquaintance who I've never met, but helped so much sort of way.<strong>

** I'm working on school stuff alot, but I shall be working on this one from now on, promise. Oh and the X-men one too. Read, review, and yell at me if I don't update soon enough for you!  
><strong>


	10. Chapter 9

**I do not own Spirited Away, the original characters and this plotline belong to me.**

* * *

><p>Chapter 9<p>

Zaniba sat in an almost trance state, staring deeply into a silver bowl, there was a shallow ring of water in the bottom of it, light reflected from within up across her wrinkled skin. Though she was starting to feel her age a good deal more since her sister's death she was still a powerful witch. She just had to manage magic in small portions at a time.

There was a knock on the door breaking her concentration, Zaniba sighed and waved the bowl away, "Come in." She got up from the chair and was walking to the door when a familiar face appeared from the crack in the door. She blinked in surprise, "Wren, what are you doing here? Your post is at the bathhouse." She wrapped a shawl around her shoulders against a chill. "Has something happened?"

Wren entered, "In a sense my Lady." He turned and waved to someone else. "I have the honor of presenting Shaman Razmillian," Raz walked into the room and nodded to the old witch, "Lord Seriyu of the East," The dragon lord walked into the room and stood just at the door, "And Chihiro."

Zaniba's heart nearly stopped as Chihiro peered into the door and tilted her head to the side while looking at the witch, "Child, where have you been?" She immediately looked to Raz, "Is this she?"

The young spirit blinked then shrugged, "I don't remember, and I'm only twenty percent sure I'm the she you're looking for."

Raz sighed, "Yes its her, well a portion of her anyway." Raz began explaining, while Chihiro walked into the room and began looking around, then walked up to Zaniba and began looking her over.

The young spirit squatted down in front of the witch then smiled, "You look familiar, I think."

Zaniba looked back to Raz, "If what you say is true then why does she not remember me yet?"

"I think they come back to her as dreams after she's been in contact with someone who holds her memories." He smiled when Chihiro got up and skipped over to the window, "How can we hold her memories without knowing it?"

The witch sighed, "We are all connected to her by existing in _her_ world. We may believe that this is our place of living, but it was first created by one she descends from." Seriyu walked over to stand beside Chihiro at the window and looked to the sky, each of them were wondering the same thing: what was the girl seeing that they couldn't. "The memories of all those who came before her took the place of all her previous memories, and I assume before her own memories could be returned to her the bathhouse was burned and she was killed."

"It didn't hurt to die." Chihiro suddenly said, no one could find words to reply as she continued, "I remember being scared of dying when I went to sleep." She smiled at the sky, watching all the threads of magic weaving though the air. "Lord Seriyu let me remember that."

"Minor memories are connected to minor influences in her life, I think." Raz said. He ran a hand through his hair, "Would you do me a favor and try and locate Blink? I'm sure he's got all sorts of memories with him."

Zaniba walked quietly walked up to Chihiro and gently pulled her arm, the girl turned to face her, "Chihiro," she said softly, "do you know what power you have?"

The young spirit tilted her head to the side and after a moment nodded, "Some of it, and I know what I have to do, I have to save my world. I chose it, so I have to do it." She looked back to the sky, "I get to do it." Her voice was both excited and scared at the same time.

There was a bang on the door and another red eyed spirit came into the room, he bowed quickly to Zaniba, "Pardon my intrusion, we have received information that a portion of Haku's army has diverted toward the bathhouse."

Raz groaned, "I told you we shouldn't of gone there..."

Wren bowed to all present, "I'll return to my post immediately, they will be searching for the power that sealed the gates." He took Chihiro's hand again and kissed the back of it, "If you ever have need of me call my name and I will be there." At that Wren went to the window and jumped out, his form shimmered and changed into a wind formed avian. He vanished into the sky, but Chihiro's eyes continued to follow the form of him that she could see.

"Bye bye." she said softly and waved. She yawned, and before anyone could suggest a bed for her to sleep on she curled up on the floor and fell into slumbers.

Zaniba smiled to herself, "Let the child sleep and remember," She looked to the other two men, "Come we will speak of where you'll need to go next."

"I will remain," Seriyu stated. "It is better not to leave the girl alone."

"I will sssstay by her ssside." Black serpent slithered through the door, "Thanksss for leaving me..."

Raz waved a hand, "I would of summoned you as soon. Besides you know how to get into my bag from anywhere, that's how you got here so quickly right?"

The snake didn't give a reply, he slid over the Chihiro and coiled loosely around her feet. "Go, I will keep her sssafe asss I have promissed."

At that they all moved from the room, Chihiro drifted deeper into slumber and magic began to collect on her skin, returning her skin to its soft glow.

Black Serpent watched quietly, and allowed some of the magic she gathered to fall onto him. His tongue flicked out tasting the air for danger, soon he would have his body if he stayed with her. And soon he would see Niruu again he could sense it just below his scales.


	11. Chapter 10

**I do not own Spirited Away, the original characters and this plotline belong to me.**

**Pardon the long break between updates, work is longer, and harder, but I'm done with school! So during the school year I'm hoping to get more chapters.  
><strong>

**Shout outs!  
><strong>

**StarRainer101: Thanks for all of the reviews, again sorry it took so long. :p So looking forward to your next review!  
><strong>

**Darkangl28: Thanks for the add to alerts, you'll be glad to know that this is another chapter :p lol. Thanks for the review and keep reading for more excitement!  
><strong>

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><p>Chapter 10<p>

It felt like a nightmare running through her veins. Everything was dark while things, things she couldn't see in the darkness, brushed past, hissed, pulled and grabbed at her limbs and skin. Chihiro backed away and backed away until her back hit something, she turned and looked up at a massive gravestone.

She blinked and looked it over, it looked to have some strange light coming from within it, she walked around it several times before standing in front of it again.

"Strange wouldn't you say?"

Chihiro looked up at the top of the gravestone, there was something sitting atop it in the darkness, "Who are you?"

There was the jangling of chains as it moved and climbed down the gravestone to stand before her, "You'll remember soon," the being was cloaked in black, chains appeared to go through the black cloth and attach to almost every part of the form's body. "Until then I'll just have to ask, do you want to remember all of it? After all some of it is very bleak, and there's your human life to think about. You found that old witch, so you should be remembering that too. You left everything behind are you willing to have that shame on your shoulders?"

There was a tickle at the back of her mind, she should fear this thing, this being, Chihiro had trapped her here for a reason, if only she could remember it. "I need to remember in order to be who I'm suppose to be."

"I'm part of that thing you're suppose to be now too, there's always something dark attached to the light, you should of learned that by now."

"You're..." the fog over parts of her mind began to clear, "You, I sealed you here so you couldn't hurt anyone else."

"Yes, but you put me in your soul, and no spirit has ever done that. You sealed a death spirit into your being, soon I'll fade, I'm only here because that tree made me remain, and as soon as I become part of you you'll remember lots of things, painful things. And you'll remember your death." The chains clinked together as the death spirit walked toward her, then it all vanished.

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><p>A hand was on her shoulder when she woke, it was Raz. He was watching her with concern. "Chihiro?"<p>

Slowly she sat up and looked around the room, "She's scary."

More concern came onto the shaman's face, "She?"

"The thing I put inside me. She said she was a death spirit." Chihiro stood and walked to the window. "I really was human wasn't I?"

Raz nodded while not looking at her, "When did you take off your clothes?"

Chihiro looked down, she was indeed undressed. "I don't remember." She noticed her companies discomfort and searched for a robe. Once covered she went and sat next to Raz, "Is my family dead now?"

The shaman stayed silent for a moment, slowly he nodded and shifted to watch her reaction better, "Your parents were distraught about your disappearance, eventually you were given up for dead. They moved, eventually they had another kid, he's your little brother, and now he's got kids of his own too." There was a pain in Chihiro's chest as Raz kept explaining. She dropped her eyes away from Raz's and clutched her hands against her chest, she was looking at them when she felt moisture rolling down her cheeks.

Slowly Chihiro patted away at the tears and looked at her wet hands in surprise. "More human than I should be I think."

"Actually I think that's why the Spirit of the Spirit World is suppose to be human first." Raz said, "You need to be able to feel, its something that most spirits suppress and get rid of, but knowing the power of those emotions is important."

There was a knock on the door, Seiryu entered, "Zaniba has received information for you, she waits in the lower halls." He stood for a moment more while the other two got up and followed him out.

Zaniba was leaning on her staff when they came into the entry hall. In the center of the room was something that looked familiar to Chihiro but she couldn't quite put her finger on where she'd seen the strange thin dragon with what appeared to be slime dripping down from its face. "Ah," The old witch said when she caught sight of them, "Don't be afraid, he's one of my spies. And he comes with news of Niruu."

The two men went up to Zaniba to listen to the information, Chihiro was still looking at the border dragon. Its own attention had gone to the glowing spirit that was approaching it with curiosity. Chihiro's head tilted to the side as she listened to the thoughts of the thin formed dragon. "Really?" she replied softly aloud as she approached it. "You poor things, the damaged lands infecting you like this, its terrible." She gently laid a hand on the dragon's scull. She leaned in close almost resting on the dragon's skin, she could sense that all other conversations had stopped when she'd touched him. "I'll make you all better."

The border dragon was engulfed in Chihiro's glow, the light became too bright for any of them to look directly, Raz yelled for Chihiro and tried to approach but there was a pressure surrounding them as well keeping all others from coming close.

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><p>A pen slipped from Kuhaku's hand, he immediately stood and went to the window, there was something, something powerful in Zaniba's lands. He wondered what new weapon she'd accumulated on her side that could put off such power that even this far from her capital it could be felt. He looked to the other windows other spirits were at the windows all of them whispering and clamoring at such energy and magic coming from their enemies land.<p>

"Sylph." Haku called, the wind spirit formed near his shoulder, "Go find out what is happening there, don't be seen."

"_As dragon lord asks, Sylph will not be seen by any eyes."_ In the young spirit's voice was a slight tremor of fear, "_Sylph wonders if it should get too close to this power would Sylph disappear?"_

Haku shook his head, "It doesn't feel like that kind of power. You'll be safe enough." At that the avian spirit vanished into the wind. The dragon sensed the water spirit's presents behind him, "Its only a spirit Misuki, there's only so much a spirit can do, nothing to be worried about."

"Of course my lord." The spirit said and wrapped her arms around his waist, "But are you trying to convince me, or yourself?"

Haku didn't reply.


	12. Chapter 11

**I do not own Spirited Away, the original characters and this plotline belong to me.**

* * *

><p>Chapter 11<p>

The light slowly began to fade, and Seiryu was the first to move, he shifted into his large dragon form and wrapped his way through the room and eventually into the light. There was a moment's pause before the dragon shape faded into the light as well. Finally the light was gone. Chihiro stood for a moment more before wavering and falling back against Seriyu.

What had once been the thin and slime dripping creature of a border dragon was now a dragon whose scales shimmered and made it fade and almost appear to vanish when it stood motionless. It's body was toned as a dragon should be, even a bit more so than others. Over its face appeared to be a second skull acting like an armor. There was a rumble deep within its chest, it gently pressed its ivory covered head to Chihiro's small form and nuzzles lightly. It then stepped away and vanished from the room as if it had never been there.

All was silent.

"Can she do that?" Raz asked Zaniba quietly.

His words shattered the silence while Seriyu led Chihiro back up the stairs the other spirits were giving loud commotion as to what they just witnessed.

Zaniba raised a hand and demanded silence. "No one, outside of this room is to know what has just occured, and by who, and what power it was done. It that understood, no one is to speak of this event to anyone else."

Chihiro blinked, "But everyone will know its happened." She leaned her head to the side, "I can't change one spirit without changing all of them, if I did that then the one I changed would become infected again."

"You say infected, by what Chihiro?" Zaniba asked.

"We weren't there to keep it safe, to make things stay how they were. So something else tried to take my place and it acted like a plague." she began, "I have to make it all go away before I can even start to make anything new again. At least that is what the parts that make up the border dragon said." She looked at her hands, "Its hard to pull out an infection from an entire group of spirits, but I'm going to fix it, its my fault."

Raz licked his lips, "So, all the border dragons, everywhere changed when you changed that one?" Chihiro nodded, "So everyone's going to know something has changed, and they're going to be looking for you now Chihiro."

"Isn't that a good thing? Maybe the ones with all my memories will find us." she turned to Zaniba and bowed, "Thank you for the place to sleep, Granny, but I think it would be best if we kept moving now."

Zaniba smiled softly, "Yes, I think so too, I'm sure you'll find your way back to see me again Chihiro. Don't worry, your secret will be protected until the time comes."

The young spirit smiled, "I know you will Granny, and it was nice to see you again, maybe next time there won't be a war going on." At that she turned and started down the stairs, she paused mid-step and looked up to the window. There was a small wavering of wind in the window, like something was caught just inside its frame. "Its a sylph," she said with a smile.

The old witch waved her staff and the wind spirit was drawn in to her as a cage formed around it, the Sylph flitted within the confinement and continued to try and escape. "A little spy are you, who do you serve?"

The avian screeched and flapped about in the cage trying to find an escape, it refused to answer. Chihiro bent down and looked into the cage, her white hair falling over her shoulder, she smiled lightly at the creature, "He works for Haku, or that is what his mind says."

Sylph stopped and landed on the bars of the cage looking at Chihiro, "_You, you are alive? But Sylph saw you fall, saw my dragon lord try to catch you. Sen shouldn't be here anymore, but she is here!_" The creature's voice grew exited, "_Sylph must tell Lord Kuhaku!_" he began to try and escape again.

"You're the sylph that found Chihiro in the real world aren't you," Raz took hold of the cage, "You can't tell Haku, he wouldn't believe you and would kill you." The bird stopped flapping his wings and watched Raz, "You must tell no one that she is here, no one, do you understand? Chihiro isn't all here yet, she's missing parts of herself."

The wind spirit stared from Chihiro to Raz for several seconds, "_Sylph will remain silent_." it promised.

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><p>Mizuki hummed as she walked down the halls of Kuhaku's fortress, the dragon lord and a portion of his army had left earlier to take possession of the bath house. She had begun to see herself as his second in command, so when she was away she made sure everything went as she wished. The sylph that had been sent to spy on Zaniba hadn't returned yet, it had been some time since it had left and she was curious as to what would take the young wind spirit so long to see who it was and return to report.<p>

Still, she was working to develop skills to allow her to see things her own way, but this power source was covered by great energies that even her developing scrying ability couldn't penetrate, but she had seen a shaman, and High Dragon Lord Seryiu there. If this spirit, this being was watched over by these two others then it would be difficult to grasp what could be in Zaniba's grasp. Mizuki reached the edge of Kuhaku's river, she ran her fingers gently over the surface of the water, "It doesn't matter, Kuhaku will remain mine, no one can take my dragon lord from me." She whispered to the water.


	13. Chapter 12

**I do not own Spirited Away, the original characters and this plotline belong to me.**

***is hiding under a bench* sorry for updates being so far apart, I promise I'm not ignoring you.  
><strong>

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><p>Chapter 12<p>

Zaniba led them through what looked to be catacombs under her fortress, "Haku is attempting to gain control of the Bath house, you will have to follow the tracks if you wish to get out unnoticed. The train hasn't run in years, and they hide spirit energies relatively well for now. But I would hurry before the dragon decides that my fortress is next on his list." The old witch turned to Seryiu, "You are to watch after her, do you understand, I hold you responsible for her safety."

"Lady, you have nothing to worry about." He looked over his shoulder at the young spirit, she was trying to balance on one of the tracks, she had been convinced to braid back her hair, it still was giving off its glimmer but it was less intense this way. They'd all changed into clothes that would be less noticeable as they began their journey into the night, "I sense though, that she will be saving us more often than we save her." He bowed to the old witch, "Regardless, I will stay by her side."

The old witch nodded, "I'll take it, now go."

Raz muttered under his breath about black serpent's absence as they began to walk away. "Honestly, he says he's reliable and everything but he's gone half the time we're trying to move on."

"Ssstaying caught up with you would be eassier had I legs." The snake said from somewhere to their left. "Perhaps a bit of the girl'sss magic can assssissst with it." His tongue flicked out in her direction.

Seryiu bent down and lifted the snake, "We are trying to conceal ourselves, having Chihiro reveal herself in that way would be counter productive."

"I think I could fix the train." Chihiro said, she'd been holding a debate with herself in her mind while they had been speaking, she wouldn't of known what they had been talking about if asked. "But I think I should find the train first, sending magic through the tracks to change it could be disastrous."

The shaman sighed, "Chihiro, we don't want people to know that you are alive right now. So, just don't go changing anything until we get all of you back together again alright?"

The girl looked at him curiously, "But it's my job to make things better." She looked down at the train tracks covered in moss and other lichens, "If I don't do it then what kind of spirit am I?" She then kept walking along the rail, "The sylph is following us." she stated lightly.

The others all turned as one as the little wind spirit tried to dart out of sight, "Shouldn't you be going back to report or something?" Raz called.

"_Sylph cannot report if he cannot say what was seen!"_ he said quickly, "_My dragon lord is very powerful, he would know what lies in my mind."_

Black serpent's tongue flicked out, "Ssshould you not return they will know sssomething hass happened regardless. Return to whence you came."

The wind spirit flitted across the distance and landed on Chihiro's shoulder, _"No, Sylph not leave her side until Sen is with Haku."_

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><p>Haku walked onto the field of burnt debris that had once been the bathhouse. Two of his strong warrior spirits stood before him, they had in each hand the arms of another spirit. "You're name?"<p>

Wren laughed and spat at the dragon's feet, "You know well who I am, you've come here before."

"Very well, what was it that closed all of these portals?" Kuhaku's eyes were wandering over the area, to his surprise when he'd arrived there had been the vague black shapes of spirits roaming the wreckage of the streets just as they had before as night began to fall. They'd also begun to try and repair things before they had vanished again.

"You think I'd tell you?" Wren laughed again, louder, earning him a hit to the stomach from one of his captors. "You, really aren't as smart as they say."

Kuhaku had him pulled to his feet, "Was it the same spirit that transformed the border dragons?" Wren's confusion showed on his face, "Not moments ago that large power surge over the spirit world changed all border dragons."

The captive spirit grinned, "Really, fascinating!" He whistled loudly.

Spirits of different shapes and sizes began to be blown away and flew in various directions, an ivory skull became visible and charged at Haku. The dragon and his two spirits dodged out of the way leaving Wren in its path, Wren grabbed onto the curl of horns coming from the sides of this one's skull. "Wow he wasn't kidding." Wren said as the border dragon then dove off and vanished again, with his passenger into the night.

Haku growled and turned to the small number of his troops, "Put together a watch, make sure nothing gets in, or out without our knowledge." One of the spirits bowed then went to do as commanded, "I've never trusted a lone wolf to stay far from his hunting grounds." He looked once more at the burnt remains of the bath house, he grimaced at the tingle of remorse in his heart, and the memory of pain in the scars. Quickly he turned to leave.

He froze, a brief scent wafting up from the ground. Familiar, longed for, and somehow fresh on this ground. He quickly shook his head, it couldn't be possible, no matter how his mind would play tricks on him, Chihiro was dead. There was nothing else to be said about it.


	14. Chapter 13 AND 14

**I do not own Spirited Away, the original characters and this plotline belong to me.**

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><p>Chapter 13<p>

The train tracks weren't entirely deserted. There were many spirits walking them, they all seemed lost some of them even appearing hollow. Chihiro could hardly stand to watch it. Raz had demanded she stay behind them as much as she could, but she kept trying to look at them and trying to talk to them. Some of them no longer remembered who, or what they were.

She was wringing at her hair and biting her lip when they stopped to rest at one of the old bus stations. "This is all my fault..." she hung her head low, "If I'd just stayed here that first time rather than try and go back to..." she looked up at Raz, some of the details about her previous visit had been coming back after seeing Zaniba as well but they were still fuzzy to the new spirit.

"The human world." The shaman kindly supplied but continued before she could speak again, "Chihiro you weren't ready then, the previous spirit said so himself, and that's why he didn't show himself to you that first time."

Chihiro blinked, "Really? I don't remember him saying that."

Razmillian sighed, he leaned forward and tapped her in the forehead, "I wish that spirit would of made it so events were complete when you got back some of your memory instead of pieces of it."

Indignant Chihiro sat up straight, "But I do remember more, I remember who Haku is, but the feelings that you say I have for him aren't connected to the memories I have of him."

Seriyu broke into the conversation. "What do you remember of Kuhaku?"

"Who?"

Sighing the dragon lord shook his head, "Kuhaku is the true name of Haku. What do you remember of your dragon?"

She smiled, "I remember he saved me when I was little." She let go of her hair and her hands fell into her lap, "I remember falling into the river and he came up below me and brought me back to the shore, my life has had a lot of interventions with the spirits hasn't it." She wasn't questioning it but stating it. "I guess I am special to this place."

There was a round of nods from all present, Raz spoke up, "Don't worry Chihiro, you'll be able to fix everything, once you remember though."

Again she started pulling and fiddling with her hair, "I wish I could do it now..."

Sylph flitted down from what looked to once have been a light post, "_But if Chihiro uses her great magic without knowing what will happen then perhaps things will go badly? Sylph wouldn't want to see Chihiro any sadder if she did something to damage the worlds without knowing."_

The group was silent for a moment, none of them had considered that there could be ill consequences to Chihiro using her powers. They all were wondering the same thing if the last two times had done something drastic to all the worlds connected to the spirit world. Chihiro slowly pulled her knees up to her chest and gave a slight whimper. She'd resumed biting her lip and was starting to taste blood. What if she'd damaged the other worlds while trying to fix her own? "Alright," She suddenly stood, the others did as a reaction to her movement, "I'm not going to use my magic again until we're sure I'm not going to do damage to the other worlds."

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><p>Mizuki was sitting on a large crate pouting. She couldn't believe that Haku would make her wait after journeying from his fortress to the bathhouse ruins. She looked longingly down at the trickle of water only feet away, her skin felt dry and brittle. Water nymphs weren't meant to fly, she just wanted to dip her feet into the cool water for some reprieve but Haku had told her to remain there until he came back. She sneered a bit, crossing her arms, hunching her shoulders, and pulling her feet up onto the crate with her.<p>

She watched Haku walking among his troops and giving them orders, apparently Kuhaku was trying to repair the shops and other buildings in the area, almost like he was encouraging the spirits to return to their places of business. She had to roll her eyes at this prospect, was he trying to make this part of his kingdom or make it a hovel that it was before.

"Mizuki," he called, she immediately jumped to her feet with a smile and ran to his side. "What brought you here?"

She put on a pout and leaned on his arm. "Didn't you miss my company?" He did his best to shake off her attempt to hold onto him, she stood with a hand on her hip, "your little wind spirit never came back, and some of the other spirits are starting to rumor about what's making all these things change." Haku waited, "They say its your Chihiro's replacement." She said softly and looking away casually. "A spirit of the spirit world brought here by another to try and make everything better."

He scoffed, "The line was broken, she died, that power cannot simply be willed onto another human. We're left to fend for ourselves." He started to walk away, "Go back to the fortress, quell the rumors, and send someone we can spare after Wren and the sylph."

"Aren't you returning?" She asked coyly. Haku shook his head in response and walked away. Annoyed the spirit stomped to to the waters edge and put her feet into it, she sighed and let it soak up her being. She let her form fall into the water and used the current to travel quicker back to the fortress, it was more difficult to fight a current than go with it. Mizuki pulled herself from the water a short walk from the fortress. She sighed heavily looking at the building of stone and river. She would put her lord's mind to rest, then she would have him with her always, she only had to call in a few favors for just the right being to find both of the spirits.

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><p><strong>K, so several times I've almost submitted this thing without changing the chapter names cause I through in the prologue so the normal chapter numbers are off by one... So you lucky people you, you get two chapters in one update. Woot!<strong>

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><p>Chapter 14<p>

Wren reclined against the side of the almost-not-there border dragon. It was sleeping peacefully and looked to be a very large mound of dirt. Apparently what ever had happened to them when they slept they became almost part of the surrounding area, Wren was glad they were in Swamp Bottom and the dragon doing a wonderful impression of a dirt pile wouldn't look odd. He took a long drink from his water sack and sighed. He patted the border dragon's side, "Whoever did this to you my friend, definitely knew how to make you better." The beast gave a half a grumble in his sleep and shifted a bit. "I hope things are well with, well, you know who I mean," He looked at the bone skull, "Bah, but she'd call if she needed help." He closed his eyes to rest for a few hours.

It was then he noticed the silence. It wasn't the silence of the woods, it was the silence brought only by a predator sensed by the weaker in the woods. He remained motionless, his hands behind his head but he tapped the dragon's side twice. The beast's eyes opened but he remained motionless the eyes darting around in the gloom.

The air was cut by the sound of an arrow sinking into the ground just below his thigh. The second after it struck he was on the back of his dragon as it jumped into the overhead trees and vanished. "Come on," he yelled, "A warning shot, who does that anymore?"

"I don't give warning shots," The voice replied, "Your trespassing soldier, and I don't want anything to do with this damn war."

There was a moments silence. "Lin?"

Another silence, "Who are you?"

He sighed heavily, "That's right, you moved int Zaniba's house." He tapped the dragon's side again, slowly the border dragon climbed down from the trees. Lin came down from the from her hiding place, her hair was cut short and pulled up with clips across the back of her head, she was in a dark green hakuma and pants. "It really has been way too long Lin."

She frowned and looked him over a few times, "I don't think I know you." She pulled back another arrow on her bow, "Who are you?"

He scratched the back of his head, "Lessee... well... I'm Yubaba's son."

Lin froze. "Boh!"

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><p>Chihiro splashed in one of the puddles along side the tracks getting Black Serpent wet. His tongue flicked out in distast, "Pleassse refrain from that." The mist that hung around Chihiro dipped down at the puddle and seemed to collect fresh droplets before returning to their original positions.<p>

"I'm sorry that I can't change you into a human form yet, Black." She said down to the serpent, "I'm sure you'd rather like walking."

The snake sighed. "I misss walking very much. Trapped as a sssstatue for decadesss makess you long for such thingsss." He noticed Chihiro was still looking at him. "Iss there ssomething elsse?"

"Why do you have two colors of eyes?"

"One isss mine, the other iss Niruu'ss." He stated.

"If you close your eye can you see what this Niruu is seeing with her eye?" She asked innocently.

The snake wondered if he should really try and reply. To his great thanks Raz interrupted. "According to what Zaniba said Niruu has been mostly basing herself near the East Gate. There's a little inn there apparently. If we keep at this pace we should be there in the next few days."

"Why don't we fly on Seryiu?" The girl questioned, "It would be a lot faster wouldn't it? If he stayed down low near the tracks then we'd be alright wouldn't we?"

"I find that the answer is that I don't give rides unless it is an emergency." The dragon lord stated, "I'm not sure how happy Byakko will be if I approach his territory unannounced. As I've heard, another is gathering an army to the south of his city. Unfortunately they recruit through press gangs if I remember what he said last we were in contact."

"We just have to lay very, very low." He looked over at Chihiro, her hair had been turning whiter everyday since they'd been looking for her memories, and her skin, while no longer the deathly pale it had looked when he'd first found her was still a very noticeable shade, "We're gonna need to fix a few things."


	15. Chapter 15

**Dear wonderful readers... Yes there is an update! Sorry I've been working on my own writing and trying to find a new job. It's terrible these days.**** Anyways, I'm sorry that it's been so long. I'll try to be a bit more consistent for a while. Thank you for continually reading and the prods of reviewers to keep working on it.**

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><p>Chapter 15<p>

Chihiro was doing her best to not move as Raz had told her. But the brushes tickled against her skin as he and Seryiu wrote symbols on the skin of her arms, legs, upper chest, stomach, and any other piece of skin they could find without Raz becoming to embarrassed. She squirmed again as a brush passed along her back.

"Can't you just hold still?" Raz asked again for the thousandth time. He turned away from Chihiro and started digging though his bags again. "I swear I had one in here..."

"All of thisss writing will be usssless if you don't have the nymphic pendant." Black's voice drifted up from across from them. He was simply watching amused at the attempts to keep Chihiro from moving.

He glared up at the snake before practically falling into his bag, "I know that, and I also know that I have one."

"What is all this for?" Chihiro asked curiously twisting her arms around to try and see all the markings that were written on her skin.

Seryiu did his best to keep his temper while taking her arm back from her. "These marking will bind the essence and the appearance of a lower wood nymph to you. Its a very effective disguise as long as no one questions what they are seeing."

"Raz knows some very complicated magic too." She stated.

"Yes!" The shaman came out of his bag with a small wooden pendant on a vine looking band. "I knew I had one. Are you almost done Dragon Lord?"

Seryiu put the brush down and had Chihiro stand and turn before him. "It appears she is ready, though I am unsure if it will react the same with such a spirit as this Chihiro."

"Don't put that sssort of thought out in the air." Black replied and slithered closer, "It givesssss bad focus."

Raz handed the pendant to Chihiro. "Put it on and tell me if you feel any different, cause you won't look any different to us."

She turned the flat piece of wood over in her hands a few times looking at the deeply burnt design of an ash leaf in the wood. Finally she slid the thong around her neck and waited.

For a moment she felt no different. Then there was a ripple of warmth down her skin. "Its very warm." She turned a few times to see if she could see a difference. "Are you sure a nymph was a good choice?"

Raz shrugged and motioned for them all to start walking again, "I'm thinking you are, at least in part, a wind spirit. So I wouldn't suggest trying to look like one of those. I can't make you look like Sylph."

The little wind bird flittered to perch on Chihiro's shoulder. The girl smiled and stroked over his little head, "I understand, is Byakko something to be feared?"

The dragon lord shook his head, "He is a guardian, we are all mighty in our own aspects. But we have all become weaker as the land that we guard grows sicker. Byakko is a tiger by nature though, I'd keep your bird well hidden if we cross his path."

"It may be conssssidered ssstrange should a shaman, a nymph, a snake, and a dragon come in as one group. I ssssuggesst we divide into groups and have Ssssylph travel ahead to ssee if any danger approachesss." Black said while slithering after them.

Raz was still looking at Black after they divided into groups. "I've been noticing that you keep getting bigger Black, have you been eating too much?"

The snake rolled his eyes, "The girl collectsss magic while she sssleepss I stay near her and in turn collect some of this pure magic asss well. In weeks I should be able to have my human form again."

Chihiro tilted her head while looking at the snake. "Is that alright for him to do that?"

Raz shrugged, "I'm guessing that it passes through him and he collects some of it. All spirits live by magic so I don't see how it could do any harm."

She smiled and bent down to pet the snake's head, "If I change him back what could possibly be effected if he's going to change himself back so soon?"

Seryiu smirked at her reasoning. "It would also draw less attention if he was in an human form. Most spirits these days only take their animal form for battle."

Raz groaned and ran his hands through his hair, the glass beads jingling against each other. "It will draw attention to you Chihiro! We don't need attention!"

"If I focus the flow of magic into Black and just let it pass through him, letting him collect it..." She squatted down and touched a finger to the snake's nose. Her hand began glowing brightly and the flow ran in veins down the entire length of the snake.

Chihiro tried to keep the magic in her hand alone, it would begin to creep up her arm the longer the process went, but she concentrated harder forcing it back to where she wanted it to be.

Slowly The snake's shape changed. Then it began suddenly. The snake began to shed its skin. Chihiro quickly pulled her hand away as the skin of his back split.

Black's human form was tall. She recalled that Blink was that tall too. But he was different. His skin in places were still the black scales of his snake self, they ran over his shoulders and down his spine as well as wrapping around his thighs. Chihiro continued to watch as black cloth formed over him leaving his chest bare were points of scales came down from his shoulders and wrapped around his waist. He opened his eyes and looked down at Chihiro, one eye red, the other blue beneath his long straight black hair. "My thanks, Chihiro." His voice was deeper and lacked the hissing of his serpent form. He took her hand and gently lifted her to her feet. "I will remain by your side as long as you wish it." He looked to Raz, "Was that as little a disturbance as you could stand?"

The shaman took a few steps around the girl and the human serpent, "Well Black you are quite the charmer I take it, no wonder Niruu was attracted to you."

Black rolled his eyes, "We shouldn't linger too long. Let us continue."


	16. Chapter 16

**Dear wonderful readers...****This isn't because I feel guilty. Ok, so maybe it is a little bit. But It's mostly because I'm on a roll! I always enjoy when the story just flows when I'm writing. Enjoy!  
><strong>

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><p>Chapter 16<p>

The streets were crowded, with both demons and spirits. Chihiro could tell the difference just by how the magic flowed around them, some of them looked extremely similar but they were different. Chihiro watched as they argued and bickered over prices in the little stalls that surrounded the large building. At the very top she could see the gate.

Black's hand fell onto her shoulder and kept her close by. "Don't get too distracted little nymph, those demons could try to devour you if given the opportunity." He couldn't help but smile when she looked up at him and nodded. He then whispered to her, "Or at least they would try to."

A group of demons sat at a stall of food while they smoked. They had their attention wandering but it would fall on her occasionally. But pass her by like she was any other spirit. "Raz has strong magic." She whispered.

"Most shaman can channel a high level of magic." Black replied, "Its why most spirits don't like them around, they will take things that will help them with channeling magic."

"But he's not part of this world," She said, "He's still connected to the human world."

"Yes, but its now your choice to allow shaman's into this world, or to keep them out."

She thought on this while they walked through the town, it reminded her a bit of the restaurant town that was outside the bathhouse. Chihiro made sure to stay near Black, she wondered how the others were getting along. Seryiu had gone in with the Sylph while Raz had come in alone. Most shaman's didn't keep company with spirits for very long so it would look normal. Seryiu was portraying a younger river spirit than he was.

There was some sort of event happening that day. There was a long trail of people weaving in and out of the building while music played and there were paper kites flying everywhere. many of them looking like tigers.

"Why is there a parade?" she asked they'd crossed the path of the parade several times.

"They're celebrating for rebirth." Black replied, "They believe that the changing of the guard dragons is a sign that the world is changing, whether for the good or bad they don't care. Living this close to evil makes their desires skewed."

Chihiro's attention suddenly snapped to the sound of a blade being sharpened. Sitting at an entrance was a figure draped in black, in her hands was a scythe that she was sharpening. A chill ran through her being and she hid behind Black.

He noticed her reaction and looked for the cause. He tried to quickly pull her aside into a side alley but the figure looked up.

Her single eye went wide as she stared at Chihiro. Slowly the death spirit got to her feet and pointed directly at Chihiro with her scythe. "She who was death, but is now reborn!" she yelled loudly.

Attention snapped to her from all sides.

Black reached inside his open robe and pulled from within a katana, it glimmered with black light while it. His eyes narrowed to slits and he stood before Chihiro. "Any who dare to touch her must face me first."

The demons and spirits began to surround the two of them as the illusion wore off. A rumbling growl came from within the crowed and a dragon burst from within them coming to surround them.

Seryiu stood at her other side. "And me." He rumbled.

There was a roar. It echoed from the building beneath the gate down through the streets sending a burst of wind out making many stumble. Seryiu and Black took hold of Chihiro to keep her from the strong wind.

"You dare come to my streets in secret Dragon Lord of the East!" The words filled the streets and made the others scatter, Raz ran to meet the others.

Seryiu stood forward. "Stop with your antics and come forward White Tiger of the West."

A shadow cast over from the entrance of the gate building. A massive cat. Slowly the animal made its approach, the tiger stood over the height of both Seryiu and Black, on its shoulders were armor that ran down to its claws. It growled at the four who stood in the street. "This is means for war Seryiu." He charged at them.

Seryui had been drawing his weapon when Chihiro immediately jumped before the others before they could stop her. She put out a hand that landed on the Tiger's chest. The area filled with a blinding white light.

* * *

><p>Zaniba took a deep inhale on her cigarette. And looked out over the valley surrounding her city. It was too silent for her liking but she'd scryed for Haku's army, it was advancing toward the hell gate. Many miles away from her city, but it was growing closer to Chihiro. It was dangerous to send her in that direction, but it was the last place she had heard Niruu had been.<p>

The wind shifted, and she wasn't alone. She cuckled, "Well this is a special occasion, the dragon lord has come to do his own dirty work." She turned toward the dragon spirit. "Come to kill me yourself?"

Haku stood motionless for a moment before walking into Zaniba's offices. The air was thick with the same scent that had been at the bathhouse. "You would tell me if she was alive wouldn't you?" His voice was heavy.

Zaniba sighed. "You are still dwelling too deeply on the past. Don't you remember my promise to you Haku? When all this ends, you'll have your heart's desire."

"It did end!" he yelled knocking a table off its legs, "She was saved, she could stay here with me forever..." he looked away, "Then Chihiro was gone."

"You don't say her name very often Haku." Zaniba walked in to his side. "Perhaps, things weren't finished when you thought they were. The world still needs fixing Haku. And our fighting isn't helping this world return to what it was."

There was a shimmering light out the window on the horizon. Haku's attention narrowed on it, then the power struck. It was the same kind that had been in Zaniba's fortress only days before. The old witch was watching it, worriedly. "It's not your power that did this is it? You haven't sent an army against the dark gate before mine have you?"

The witch laughed, "Only a week's travel and you think that I could have an entire army there. No, that is no power of mine." She sighed and took a long draw on her cigarette. A glimmer came to her eyes, "Perhaps you should go join your army and see if you find this power that's wandering the world."

The dragon sighed, "I don't think there can be a peace between us if you keep talking in riddles."


	17. Chapter 17

**Dear wonderful readers...****This isn't because I feel guilty. Ok, so maybe it is a little bit. But It's mostly because I'm on a roll! I always enjoy when the story just flows when I'm writing. Three chapters in one day... I fear writing burn out so I'm going to do more tomorrow. But enjoy, really, do.  
><strong>

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><p>Chapter 17<p>

There had been enough fighting, enough wars, enough anger, it all had to stop. Chihiro had been afraid to charge at Byakko, the white tiger. But she did it without a second thought. The magic was slowly fading but she still felt warm. A pair of arms were wrapped around her, covering her in a large white fur cloak and keeping her near him. Slowly, timidly she looked up at the guardian of the west.

"A child would defend an aged spirit." He chuckled, "Now I have seen everything." He released her, "So you are the one who was of death, who was reborn."

Chihiro didn't understand what this meant and she asked him.

"It is a story in these parts." Raz said coming to her side. "But I don't think now is a good time for stories, Lord Byakko. Is there somewhere else this discussion could continue?"

Byakko frowned, "These are my lands. As long as you remain here none will touch you or will face my army and my wrath."

The light was finally gone, Black and Seyriu walked over to join them. Both with weapons still in hand. Byakko lowered his head to the Dragon Lord. Seyriu returned the gesture.

Chihiro smiled widely, they weren't going to fight. It was going to be alright.

She collapsed into unconsciousness.

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><p>The blankets were warm and the lights were softly glowing when the world came again. Chihiro sighed and burrowed deeper into the blankets. There were voices in the hallway, murmuring softly as if not to wake her. But Chihiro wanted to hear, she climbed out of the large bed, dragging the warm blanket with her wrapped around her person and crouched next to the door.<p>

The other room was a conference room of some kind. The five spirits were sitting in the room. Byakko was speaking.

"...a danger to your kingdom to leave for such a time, Seyriu. I will take up watching the girl while they remain in my domain." He said.

Seryiu shook his head, "She is under my protection still, I gave my word to the girl I would protect her until her quest is fulfilled."

The tiger spirit leaned back in the chair, "Speaking of such things as quests, what is she seeking in my kingdom so near the devil's gate?"

Chihiro pushed open the door, they all looked at her. "I'm looking for the rest of me." she stated.

Raz groaned, "Chihiro why do you tell people that..."

"Its the truth, and I trust him." She smiled down at Byakko, "He has a good heart, I felt it." She walked up to the portion of the table that they were sitting at. "I'm the one who is going to fix this world, but I have to remember how I got here before I can do it." She knelt at Byakko's side. "Who is the one who was death, but now reborn?"

"Child," Byakko lifted her up and sat her on the table. "You are. The Death spirits can sense it within you, you have taken into your soul a death spirit and turned it into part of you. With it you can control death, and being the spirit of this world you will also control life."

Chihiro sat cross legged on the table looking from one face to the next. "And I'll make it better. I promise."

"Excellent. Now, I cannot control how others will talk about this incident in the town. The world will soon be aware that a spirit with your power is alive. It will make you a target of those who would want the world to continue to fall into decay." Byakko stood and pulled a rope. "And I cannot travel with you for the devil's gate is bringing stronger demons into this world every day and we must continue to prepare. But I will offer all the help I can while you are here."

"Your army is both spirits and demons." Chihiro stated.

Black spoke before Byakko could explain, "His army are those who are and were spirits. And who would like to be so again. He has remained neutral by claiming that he would control the flow of demons into this world through the gate."

It made sense, "Is that why Niruu is somewhere around here?"

"No, that is why Niruu is here."

Chihiro turned on the table to see the demon cloaked in blue standing at the doorway. Something in her heart leaped with joy at the sight of her. The demon was only a hazy memory, but they had become friends, it was something a heart never forgot. Chihiro jumped up and ran across the table top, the mist around her was almost singing as the girl jumped down and stopped just before colliding with Niruu.

The demon enfolded Chihiro in her arms, "Niruu is glad that Niruu's friend isn't as dead as she was told."

"But I was!" Chihiro said exitedly, "I was dead, but now I'm not."

Niruu smiled under the blue scarf around her face. "Niruu will help Chihiro again if she asks." She stood and looked at the others, her eye lingered on Black. "You have your form back Serpent, Niruu is glad for you."

He smiled, "Hello Niruu."

Chihiro pulled on Niruu's arm, "You can too, I can't do it yet but I know I can fix the spirits who are demons."

"Niruu will wait in anticipation for that day." The two of them walked back to the front of the table, "Niruu asks of Byakko that her contract be held until Chihiro is Chihiro again."

Byakko chuckled, "Let's discuss what else must be done before the seven of you depart."

Raz smiled at this construct. Chihiro would have more of her memory after her next nap, they only had to find a few more people and everything would be fine. But he couldn't think of a way to get Chihiro and Haku into the same room without Haku knowing it was her. That would be the difficult one. His train of thought was broken when he noticed Sylph was shivering where he now perched. The shaman picked up the wind spirit and excused himself from the table.

"What's wrong?" Raz asked, "You don't get cold your a wind spirit."

"_Lord Haku is near. He and his army camp many miles from the devil's gate. They come to fight back demons." _Sylph said, "_Sylph's oath to Lord Haku draws him to tell of Sen."_

Raz sighed. "You can't and you know it, he'd come flying in here and kill everyone to get to her if he knew she was alive. Then he'd likely kill her because she isn't herself yet."

Sylph nodded, _"Sylph will do his best to stay."_


	18. Chapter 18

**Dear wonderful readers... Read on!****  
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><p>Chapter 18<p>

Chihiro kept trying to sleep, but she couldn't help but start to smile while Niruu crouched next to the bed. She rolled over to face Niruu. "I can't sleep with you staring at me."

"How will Niruu know when you have taken up the memories that Niruu has had within her?" She walked around to the other side of the bed and climbed up to sit at her side, "And how is it Sen is alive, Niruu was told Sen was dead."

Smiling Chihiro put a hand out and took hold of Niruu's, "I did die, I don't remember much about it, but I do know that I died, or I wouldn't have been able to start becoming what I am." The mist collected around their connected hands and the two of them giggled while it glimmered, danced, and whispered to the two of them.

"Serpent wants to talk with Niruu." The demon said and shifted a bit while thinking about it. "Niruu isn't sure if Niruu should go..."

"I don't think it would be a bad thing, he is your friend isn't he?"

Niruu bit her lip, "Last Niruu saw of Serpent Niruu said she needed space and needed to be apart from Serpent."

Chihiro tilted her head to the side, "Why would you say that?"

The demon pulled her hand back from Chihiro and began to fidget further. "Niruu is a demon, Serpent is a spirit. It is taboo for feelings to exist between spirit and demon." She sighed, "But Niruu does have feelings for Serpent, and Niruu doesn't know how to settle them when Serpent is around."

Chihiro was trying to understand, she knew she had been human and Haku was a spirit, but the emotion behind the connection between the two of them was still hazy. She knew it was strong, maybe if she slept the connections would fill in. But she didn't want to leave this recovered friend in such a situation. "I can change you back Niruu, I don't know how yet, but I know that I can turn you back into a spirit. So don't be afraid of your feelings, alright?"

Niruu's scarves were still twitching around her shoulders, but slowly she nodded. "Niruu will go talk to him then, does Sen promise she can change Niruu back?"

She thought about it for a moment then nodded with confidence. This made Niruu appear even calmer then the demon unfolded and hopped out of the room. Chihiro laid back down and cuddled into the bed, she hoped to remember something important, something that could help everyone, or maybe Haku she really wanted to remember Haku.

* * *

><p>Raz was walking toward the room to wake Chihiro, Byakko had finished the preparations for them to leave. They'd be traveling toward the demon gate with the next advanced party then when they pass the tracks they would go their own ways. They were planning to go to Swamp Bottom and hide there while they tried to find Blink, and avoid Haku's discovery.<p>

He reached for the door but it opened first. Chihiro stood before him, her eyes down. He noticed her hair had become completely white, only the very tips of it retained any color of brown, her skin had a some interesting designs glimmering and shifting on her. Her clothes were mussed and loose on her person. "Chihiro?"

She looked up at him, tears were streaming down her face. "I left them, how could I do that? I never even said goodbye, or tried to tell them that I was alright, and its way too late now..." She slid down the door frame to her knees, "They're long dead now, no one even remembers who I am anymore in the human world do they?"

Raz sighed and sunk down next to her, "I'm sorry Chihiro. You did want to try and tell them, remember, but things happened too quickly for us to actually contact them."

She nodded, "I remember it, but I could have tried harder! If they'd been important to me I would have tried more!"

Raz sighed and ran his hands through his hair, he didn't know how to help her with this particular recollection of memories, and apparently she was starting to feel the right emotions with the memories. He turned to try and help her again, but she got to her feet and started walking away, "Where are you going?"

"I want to be alone," She wiped her face on her sleeve, "Is that okay?"

Slowly Raz nodded, "Don't go too far, Seyriu will kill me if you get hurt and you'd wandered off on my watch."

She nodded and left.

* * *

><p>Chihiro followed a river away from the castle, the land here was rich and green. She wanted everywhere to look like this, but it was weighing heavy on her shoulders. She'd left her family without thinking about them again, almost, how could she expect to do everything here. Would she run away again?<p>

She didn't know how long she'd been walking, she knelt down next to the stream and looked down at her reflection. She hardly looked like the girl she had in her memories, Chihiro pulled back her hair, at least her eyes still held most of their dark color, but even those were starting to look nothing like herself. She braided her hair back and turned back to the water while trying to wipe away the tears at the thoughts of her family now gone.

She wasn't alone. Standing behind her was a tall spirit, his black hair hanging down his back, his eyes on her intensely. "What are you doing here?"

The girl turned to confront this person, she could sense he was a dragon, she wondered if this could be Kohaku. "I wanted to be alone, did I disturb your tries to be alone too?"

He blinked in surprise. "I am doing no such thing, I am here to confront the tiger, these are his gardens aren't they?"

"I'm sure they are, I did come from his palace." she looked around at the trees, "Lord Byakko takes good care of his land, were it that all the other lords did too."

The dragon scoffed, "It isn't their fault that the world crumbles, all spirits would know that."

Chihiro took a stuttered breath in to keep herself from crying again and looked again to the water, "I know," she was failing to keep back the tears, it was her fault after all that the world was dying. "But if they worked together rather than take all this time for war, killing off more spirits, then maybe it wouldn't have become like this."

This dragon seemed even more shocked, whether it was from what she said or that she was crying she didn't know. But he dropped to his knees at her side. "Who are you little spirit?"

Chihiro opened her mouth to reply but was interrupted.

"Lay a hand on her Kohaku and you will have me to deal with!"

The two turned to see Seryiu stood twenty feet from them along the river's edge. He had his hands on the hilt of his blade, his eyes glowing golden in rage.


	19. Chapter 19

**Dear wonderful readers... Read on!****  
><strong>

* * *

><p>Chapter 19<p>

"Kohaku?" Chihiro questioned softly and looked back at him. He gave her a glance and got to his feet. She kept staring at him, why hadn't she felt something amazing toward him? She'd been feeling everything else since being reunited with Niruu, why not him? She watched him while he stood, his eyes never leaving the dragon lord's. Maybe, maybe he wasn't the dragon she had known anymore, so he couldn't give her the memories that he had. Wouldn't he have recognized her if he was the Haku he'd been before?

The dragons seemed deep in a personal, internal, conversation. She was tempted to try and listen into the conversation, but from the deep, angry furrows on Seryiu's face she decided against it. But Haku didn't know who she was at all, would she have some great revelation when she went to sleep again that would make all the stories and memories, because to her some of these memories in her head seemed more like stories that happened to someone else, make sense and everything would be how it was before?

She measured him up from behind, he was a lot bigger than the few memories she'd had of him. But the glimmering purple band in his hair was very familiar. It was hers. Chihiro stood and reached for it.

But then he was gone. There was a clash of metal on metal, she looked over to where the Dragon Lord stood and Haku was there too, their blades crossed before them, both of them looking intensely angry at the other.

Seryiu's eyes glanced away from Haku at Chihiro, _"Return to the castle, now!"_ The biting words echoed in her mind. She took a step back, into the river.

Something closed around her ankle and wouldn't let her move, she looked down at a pair of black eyes and jade skin. The hand pulled on her ankle, Chihiro slipped back and into the water.

"You conspire to harm my master!" A voice hissed and burbled in her ears as the water began to wrap and coil around her, even in the shallow water it was trying to kill her, some river spirit was trying to drowned her. Chihiro felt anger bubbling within herself, she wasn't going to let this lesser being kill her like this. The water around her began to heat, the water nymph squealed and tried harder to finish of Chihiro.

Then it was gone, she was lifted from the hold of the water, coughing and sputtering in the arms of another spirit. She held onto the front of their robes tightly, not knowing if it was Seryiu or Haku.

"That's enough Mizuki." The voice rumbled deep in the chest of the person who held her. "She did nothing, you attacked her unprovoked."

Haku deposited her back on the bank before Seryiu who quickly wrapped a second robe around her shoulders while she shook and coughed the last of the river from her lungs. She glared angrily at nymph that stood before Haku. The black eyes were looking at her with equal contempt.

Seryiu moved Chihiro to the side, "I'll have my rightful punishment on that nymph Kuhaku. She attacked my ward."

Mizuki paled immensely, retreated and vanished into the river.

Chihiro scowled, she'd wanted to see Seryiu give her a good punishment. That nymph could have destroyed the future of the worlds, all of them.

Haku bowed and apologized, "I'll take the punishment in her stead, she'll receive another when she returns to our camps."

Before Seryiu could speak Chihiro came forward, "Give me that purple band, and I'll have him forget the punishment."

The river spirit's entire demeanor darkened. Chihiro immediately retreated behind the Dragon Lord. Seryiu glanced at the her behind him.

"You have changed a great deal Kuhaku," He said softly, "I fear even a bit too much."

"Seryiu what's going on is Ch-" Raz cut himself off just in time while running toward them, he pulled to an abrupt stop, "Haku, it's been a while... Uh," he looked to Chihiro, soaking wet and hiding behind the Dragon Lord, "What brings you to these parts?"

"Razmillian," He was still glaring at Chihiro. "I came to speak with the Tiger, my army and I seek passage through his lands to reach the demon gate." Slowly he turned his attention to the shaman. "Last I heard from you you were still looking for her. Tell me, have you reached the conclusion that she truly is dead yet?"

Chihiro's chest felt like a knife had sunk deep into her, like she was still drowning. He wanted her to be dead, something in his voice, something had convinced him she was dead. She started to shiver, the sorrow was flowing off her in waves. Literally. The grass surrounding her began to shrivel and die, the flow of the water began to slow, bark on the surrounding trees cracked and groaned as the trees themselves began to ache and moan at Chihiro's resounding pain.

Raz grabbed hold of her shoulders, "Stop it, you have to stop it now!" he hissed in her ear while trying to quickly lead her away, "Doing this isn't going to help anyone. Haku watched you fall into the fire alright, that's why he thinks,"

She spun on the spot, "I'm not dead!" She screamed, "I'm tired of this secret I don't want to be in hiding. I want this to be fixed, I want to know why things are how they are!" She took a deep breath, grabbed the sides of her head, fell to her knees, and screamed as loudly as she could manage.

The earth beneath her crackled, dried, cracked again. The wind slashed and bit into any who stood too close, stealing the leaves from the trees and pulling the grass and flowers from the ground. The castle groaned and shook trying to hold itself together against her onslaught. Lightning and thunder crashed overhead.

The scream slowly began to die down and Chihiro felt her own exhaustion. What had she been doing, was this what sorrow, what feeling did to her? Why would the spirit of the spirit world need to know these feelings, they caused so much destruction, pain... why?

No one dared approach her, she could feel all of them, even a few who had come while she'd been screaming, staring not knowing how to approach her. She gave into the sobs she'd been hiding. The deep soul and spirit pulling cries of sadness and anguish. Everything was different, it wasn't how it was suppose to be, the important ones to her wanted her to be secret, in a cage. Or even dead. The skies calmed enough to break into large cold drops of rain.

Someone gently put a hand on her back, she shuddered at the contact and waited for Raz to tell it was going to be alright. But he didn't. They knelt beside her, a second hand came under her chin and lifted up. She slowly raised her eyes to Haku's.

His eyes searched hers for a moment. They were dull, empty and drained from the emotion she'd poured into the spirit world. She tried to turn away but he would let her move.


	20. Chapter 20

**Dear wonderful readers, I'm so sorry that it's taken this long to get to chapter 20. I hoped you enjoyed that last chapter, and I equally hope that you enjoy this next one. Thanks for lurking, reading and/or reviewing!****  
><strong>

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><p>Chapter 20<p>

"How long?" Haku demanded, still looking at Chihiro.

She didn't know how to reply, she glanced to the side at the others hoping for someone to help. She was shaking from both the cold and the hints of fear, remembering the look of foreboding that had sent her to hide behind Seryiu. Still no one moved or made a sound. Haku demanded the answer, louder this time and breaking his gaze from Chihiro.

"It's been a little under a month since Black found her." Raz replied gently.

Haku scowled, "And you didn't think to tell me?"

"I didn't remember." Chihiro whispered, bringing Haku's attention back to her. "The last spirit like me hadn't finished the transfer when I died, so he scattered what was left of the power with my memories." He was again looking at her intensely, she was sure he was looking for the signs that she was still the Chihiro she was before.

Haku removed his outer most layer of hakuma and wrapped her in it before lifting her back to her feet. "You don't remember me?"

Chihiro shook her head, "Only bits and pieces. My memories are tied to those who were tied most closely to me before this happened, I sleep and the memories and power comes to me." Chihiro couldn't continue to let him look her in the eyes. It was making her feel even more self conscious. She gave a quick bow, "Excuse me, I must go apologize to Byakko for destroying his gardens." She quickly left the others to discuss her without her present.

* * *

><p>Niruu was the first to find Chihiro, no one had been able to locate her for a short time after she'd gone to see Byakko. Niruu found her curled up under all of the hakuma's she'd been wrapped in tucked into a dark corner of a normally unused room. Niruu only found her with the help of the mist, and that Chihiro was still glimmering a bit even after using all of that magic in the garden.<p>

Chihiro flinched away when Niruu touched her face, slowly she opened her eyes and saw the demon. "Can I sleep more?" She asked groggily, the world was dancing in a faint haze, and it made her more exhausted to realize she hadn't remembered anything new, why?

"Everyone is looking for Sen, they're all afraid you have been discovered by demons and dragged away to demon gate." Niruu stated and crouched closely to the young spirit. "Sen is sick?"

She couldn't help but smile at the irony, "Well a demon did discover me didn't she?" Niruu's scarves shifted on her face, she was smiling. "I'm not sick, at least I don't think I am, just very tired."

"Niruu thinks a bed would be more comfortable. Niruu could carry Sen back to her room if Sen would like."

Chihiro was already drifting half asleep again when Niruu asked, she nuzzled into the hakamas as she felt Niruu lift her from the floor, the gentle rocking was almost as lulling as the sounds of voices drifting around her as she was taken to a bed. She was left in peace for a while, but she felt the presence of someone at all times, it changed occasionally but there was someone watching her.

Then someone was standing over her. A hand gently brushed her hair away from her face, she couldn't help but shudder slightly at the contact, the hand was warm on her skin but broke contact when it felt her tremor.

"Chihiro," Haku said softly, she felt him lean on the bed and opened her eyes slightly. "Did I wake you, I apologize."

She blinked a few times hoping it would clear the haziness from her vision, it made her blink out a few tears, she rubbed at her eyes causing them to finally clear. Chihiro stayed laying down and Haku, moving very slowly like he was afraid to startle her, laid down on the bed next to her. "Hi Haku."

"Do you remember anything new?" He didn't move a muscle after she'd spoken. Chihiro took a moment before shaking her head, "I thought you said,"

"It's what happened with the others," Chihiro looked up at the ceiling and shrugged, "The last spirit did tell me that you would have the most important parts of my memories and would have the final binding portion of my power. I guess I have to find the rest of my memories first." She looked over at him again and gave a bit of a smile. "He also said you'd have my true name."

"Your name is Chihiro." He said flatly.

"That can't be my true name anymore, its too dangerous that so many people know that name."

"Yes, but to me you will always be Chihiro." The two of them fell silent for a moment then he reached over and cupped the side of her face, "I can't see it, I can't see you in there Chihiro." She bit her lip and averted her gaze, "But," he continued. "There is something... familiar in you. I can't stay with you for long, but I'll find you, I always will."

She smiled and closed her eyes somewhere within her a piece of her was almost treasuring the feeling of his hand on her face, and his words made her feel like she was glowing brighter. When she opened her eyes she realized she was and forced the magic down a bit more to lessen the glow.

He chuckled, "Raz told me you're trying to find Blink next. It looks to me like you've collected most of the others, but we will all be trying to find others who are connected to your past. I'm returning to my army soon, Chihiro, will you come with me?"

There was a look on his face, almost pleading with her, but she shook her head. "I won't go where you're going to kill spirits, I'm going to fix the demons that are spirits but I can't do that if their dead."

"Are you sure you can do it?"

To Haku's surprise she slid closer to him on the bed until she was almost curled up against his chest while he rested on his side, "I need everyone to believe I can do it too, cause I don't know if I can or not." she'd been speaking into his chest but she finally looked up at him. "But even if they don't I'm still going to try."

Haku smiled, "Sounds just like something you would say."


End file.
